


Tied

by tipsyanon



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Credence and Graves eating lunch together because it's mandatory, Credence and Original Graves being cute together, Fluff, Gravebone, Hospital, I don't know how to explain it but I guess it's slow burn again after part 2, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut, dubcon, probably every trope ever involving these characters, skip part 2 if you're not into smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-17 01:47:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9298811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tipsyanon/pseuds/tipsyanon
Summary: Percival Graves is Grindelwald's prisoner. Grindelwald finds out about the special bond between Credence and Graves. Things are about to go down.





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little preface. The smut is coming in Part 2.

Percival Graves felt weak. He had been kept as a prisoner by Grindelwald for some time now. The last few days were just a blur to him, from the dark room to the stuffy air, to the constant humiliation, everything was the same day after day. Grindelwald had tried to win him over at first, explaining why he did what he did, realizing quickly that Graves couldn't be convinced. That had been the turning point, Grindelwald changed his methods, he started to hit him, to touch him.  
He wanted to break Graves, but Graves was stronger than this, because he knew that in the end, no matter how bad Grindelwald treated him, he needed Graves alive. They'd find him, sooner or later. Probably later, from what it seemed like. 

While Graves took pride in staying loyal, not giving away any information about the MACUSA to Grindelwald, it really didn't take long for his impersonator to get whatever he wanted. He must have known beforehand that a dark force was at work in New York, but his investigation was a lot easier, now that he had access to inside information. Grindelwald knew that they had narrowed down the origin of the occurrences, knew that the church was probably the breeding ground of the Obscurus. And just like Graves himself, Grindelwald was fast to find whom he thought was the weakest link: Credence. He was using the innocent boy, hoping he would provide him with the information he needed.

Why did Tina have to snap back then? Why did she have to attack the mother?  
Graves couldn't really blame her, of course, just thinking about how Mary Lou treated Credence made him sick. That's why he had decided to leave the observation of the church in Tina's hands, because he would've snapped as well. And once he was at it, hurting the mother might not have been enough. Was he disappointed by Tina? A bit, admittedly. However, he was perfectly able to relate to her set of actions. But if Tina were still on the case, then maybe Grindelwald wouldn't have that strong of a hold on Credence. 

Credence. When they first took a closer look at the church and its following, this boy stood out the most to Graves. His appearance, trying his hardest not to be seen, looking so small despite his tallness, always a sorrowful look on his face.  
The longing eyes, whenever he wasn't degraded by words or actions of the person he was confronted with. Longing for an acceptance he had never experienced in his life, but he knew was out there. Graves wanted to help him, save him, show him that there were people who cared. He got too attached too quickly, he didn't really understand where these feelings came from. 

It got so far that he even took Credence out to a diner at one point. Both didn't know what to do, what to say, how to act. Credence was way too shy to start any conversation at all, while at the same time being overwhelmed by the thought that someone really cared enough to notice him, notice how he suffered. He just stared at Graves the whole time, who was trying to process why and how they had ended up in that situation. 

Credence had been looking so miserable out there, shivering in the cold, being ignored by passers-by for about half an hour. Finally, Graves couldn't stand that sight anymore, he stepped in front of the young man and asked him if he could treat him for something to eat and drink. Graves now believed that Credence must have noticed him near the church before, because he didn't hesitate long before following him.

Although Credence was obviously very thankful for the warm meal, he was very careful at the same time. He only spoke when he was asked and his answers were short. But what Graves understood was that Credence didn't want to leave the diner, he didn't want to go back into the cold streets, trying to hand out pamphlets. The last bites of his meal went down very slow, just to push his harsh reality further away, if only for a few minutes.  
It was when they left the diner that Credence spoke without being spoken to first, his eyes focused on the ground. He wanted to know how he could reciprocate. That's when Graves developed the idea of turning the young man into a spy for the MACUSA. What a selfish idea that had been. 

They met a couple more times, Graves gave him the instructions, healed his bruises, convinced him that he needed his help. Around that time Graves noticed that he felt more than just sympathy or maybe pity for Credence. His affection was of pure nature, at least most of the time.  
Other times, often at night, his thoughts circled around the young man and Graves was surprised by how lewd and powerful some of these images were. He had to admit to himself that he didn't care about Credence all fatherly, that he wanted to feel the boy's longing eyes on his naked body, his figure stretched out to his full height on the bed. 

That's why he had decided to leave the observation in Tina's hands. Should have considered that Tina might mess it up, but, despite everything: he really couldn't blame her.  
The problem was that Graves didn't have a chance to make sure the observation of the Second Salemers – and therefore Credence – was taken care of by someone else than Tina before Grindelwald got him. And as soon as Grindelwald realized that the church took an important role in finding whatever was causing the trouble in New York, he assigned himself to the task of keeping an eye on the worshipers. 

It took Grindelwald as much as a day to find out that Credence could be used as a source of further information. He also discovered that there was a special bond between his prisoner and Credence, who probably just went straight up to Grindelwald when he noticed the wizard near his church again. And Grindelwald had every intention to take advantage of this information.

When Grindelwald returned he asked Graves worrying questions, like: why would the young man be so attached to Percival, why had he taken him out to a diner and: “Percival, do I see sweat on your forehead?“ This was definitely what Grindelwald had been waiting for, a sign of nervousness from Graves. 

He grinned, before he continued with his speech: “Don't worry, I won't hurt him. Well, only as much as he wants me to. As he wants 'you' to. He is so desperately craving for attention, doesn't matter in what way, could be a kind look, could be words, could be a daring touch... He doesn't realize how challenging it is to resist him, does he? So innocent despite what he is going through every day.  
I know you saw it, too, Percival. The hunger in his eyes whenever he thinks that you – that 'we' – are not noticing it. I was wondering why you'd let someone else take care of the church when you clearly had a good lock on the situation. Especially since you get along with Credence so well. You should have seen him today, how his face lit up when he noticed me. How willing he was to give in to my embrace. You were afraid of where this might lead to, weren't you? That you might not be strong enough to resist him, for he is quite beautiful, isn't he? So pure. Well...” 

Grindelwald's mouth was right next to Graves's ear as he continued: “...you're lucky, because I think I will be generous enough to show you where your relationship with Credence could have come to.“ The laugh that followed made Graves shudder. He didn't want to know what those words were supposed to mean. All he knew was that he feared for Credence's well being.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fair warning: There is smut in here.

“It will be quite a show.“, was the first thing Graves heard after recovering from being unconscious. Grindelwald had knocked him out with a spell and obviously transported his helpless body to a new place. It was dark in here, except for the little light that fell trough the blinds right in front of Graves's face. Magic tied him to a chair, he realized as he became more aware of his surroundings.  
“And I made sure that you're sitting in the front row, isn't that neat? You're going to be the whole audience, to be fair. He, who sees, will not be seen himself. That's very naughty of you, don't you think?” 

Grindelwald's voice came from his right side and his words didn't make much sense to Graves. He wanted to say something in response, but Grindelwald had taken care of that, too, Graves couldn't utter a word. “Well, anyway, I'm going to leave for now, Percival. Await our return within the next few hours. It's not like you have anything else to do, right?” And with that, Grindelwald exited whatever small room they were in, closed it and disapparated. 

The more Graves grew aware of the situation he was in, the more anxious he became. The 'room' he was locked up in was in fact a closet, its blinds didn't fully block his sight and Graves had indeed the perfect view over a room whose center point was a huge bed. 'Our return' is what Grindelwald had said and Graves had a perfectly good idea of who 'our' was supposed be.  
And it made him furious, sitting in the dark, bound to a chair, helpless. That was probably what bothered him the most: being helpless. Having to be the witness to something he most certainly didn't want to see, but being unable to do anything about it. He heard the blood rush in his ears, felt sweat forming on his back, his forehand, in his fists, he wanted so eagerly to escape the situation he was in, but whichever way he looked at it: Grindelwald had been right. All he could do was wait. 

It didn't take 'a few hours', did it even take a full hour at all? Graves wouldn't know, but sooner than he would've liked to, Grindelwald apparated back into the room. He wasn't looking like himself, but like Graves. And he was not alone.

Credence was with him, wearing Grindelwald's scarf and coat, holding on to the older man's shoulders, an insecure look on his face. He took his time to examine the room for a moment. A lifetime of disappointment and letdowns had made him suspicious. But even if something about this room would've been alarming, what would Credence be able to do about it? Graves was much stronger and far more powerful than him. That was probably one of the reasons why Credence felt so attracted to him.

The wizard pulled him tight now, enclosing the younger man's small frame in his strong arms. “Is everything alright? Do you think it will be warm enough in here?” Credence nodded, but didn't dare to speak, obviously still intimidated by what was happening. “A coat and a scarf can only do so much, but a heated room will bring you the warmth you need. How cruel of her, to let you stay out in the cold like this.” Grindelwald took off the clothes he had lent to Credence, embracing him again after watching the garments fly onto a hook on the wall. 

“Now, where were we before I realized how cold you were?” Grindelwald's voice was low and raspy, a sound that alarmed Graves, who noticed that Credence blushed a little at that question. Instead of answering right away, the young man dug his hands deeper into Grindelwald's back, hiding his face on the wizard's chest. Grindelwald waited patiently, stroking up and down Credence's back.  
“Kissing.”

Graves heart sank to that word. It came out as merely a whisper and Credence still did not dare looking into the other man's eyes. Grindelwald took care of that, running one hand down the younger man's jaw, lifting up his chin, locking their eyes. “Did you enjoy that?” Credence tried to get away with nodding at first, but realized that Grindelwald wanted a verbal answer. “Yes, Sir.” He had to look away while saying that.  
“One more question and I want you to look straight at me when you answer. Do you want more?” Credence swallowed hard, but managed to keep eye contact before he whispered: “Yes.” A smile crossed Grindelwald's face as he lightly stroke Credence's lips: “Let me give you what you desire, Credence.”

Graves felt sick to the stomach as he watched how their lips met, lightly, as if this was an innocent kiss. He saw their bodies cling to each other, noticed how Credence's unsteady hands grabbed Grindelwald by the shoulders, how they were grinding their hips. He witnessed their kissing intensify, their lips opening, allowing the each others tongue in. He heard Credence gasp as Grindelwald touched his bottom and squeezed it teasingly. 

Graves wanted to scream out of frustration, this was wrong, a sick joke played on him. Why did Grindelwald have to drag Credence into his twisted scheme? 

“Credence, my dear, how would you like it if we took this into a more comfortable position?”, Grindelwald asked, head pointing in the direction of the bed. The insecurity returned for a moment, Credence, although he was obviously very much into what was happening, took some time before he answered: “I would like that.”, a fine smile on his face. He got pushed onto the mattress and leaned back on his elbows, as he watched Grindelwald get rid of his suit jacket one swift move, hinting that Credence should take his jacket off, too. It took him some time, because he had little control over his shaky fingers, but Credence managed to remove the now unnecessary garment, tossing it on the floor.

He watched in awe as the other man crawled up on him onto the bed, how Grindelwald pushed his legs apart, positioned himself between them and above Credence, leaning farther and farther down, until there was almost no space between their bodies anymore.  
“Doesn't that feel even better, Credence?” No answer, just nodding. “Credence?” But the young man seemed too overwhelmed to speak, cheeks flushed and breathing heavily, Graves could hear it even in his hiding place.  
The question was answered in another way, as Credence suddenly wrapped his arms around Grindelwald's back, their bodies finally colliding, their lips touching again. 

If the wizard was surprised by the abrupt action his protege was taking, it didn't show. Graves expected Grindelwald to stop Credence, just to illustrate that he was in charge here, but he allowed Credence to have his way this time. He gave in to the kiss, if only for a little while, biting the other man's lower lip, making Credence gasp.  
A hand dug into black hair, pulling the head back: “Aren't you an eager little thing? So needy...” Grindelwald made sure not to loosen the grip on Credence, keeping his head tilted back. There was a hint of panic in Credence's eyes, Graves could see it. Had he gone too far by forcing himself on the other man like this? 

Grindelwald took his other hand to Credence's neck, tracing down from the jawline to the collarbone, only so lightly, before he lowered his head to follow the exact same track again, this time with his lips. Credence tried to arch his back a little more in response, eyes closed now, stretching towards the sensation that Grindelwald left on his throat. “So needy, so greedy, so inviting.” Credence wanted to look at Grindelwald, but the grip stayed tight. With his free hand the wizard opened the buttons of Credence's vest, moving his hand up again to loosen the tie afterward. “I think I want you to keep this on.”, he murmured, maneuvering the tie over the collar of Credence's shirt. “Now let me see more of that beauty of yours.” 

One by one the buttons of the shirt became undone and Graves saw how Grindelwald traced the way of the exposed flesh with his fingers in a devout manner. “Your skin, it looks so delicate.” He finally let go of Credence's hair, using both his hands to pull out the rest of the shirt that was tucked away in the trousers. 

They started kissing again, Grindelwald's hands caressing Credence's upper body, making the young man moan consistently. The noise increased as Grindelwald started kissing Credence's neck and further down, reaching his collarbone, the chest, one of his hands now down between the legs, where the young man's pants formed a bulge. Credence whimpered at every touch, digging his hands deep into the bedspread, overwhelmed with desire for more of whatever this was.

As much as he hated all of this, Graves couldn't close his eyes to the show he was presented with. He was disgusted with Grindelwald, he truly was, he didn't want to see Credence as exposed to his impersonator as he was right now, but still, he had to look, had to listen. He wanted to be the one on top of Credence, he wanted to be the one pleasing him, making him moan, he wanted to feel his soft skin underneath his fingers, he wanted to kiss him, taste him, make him scream. Make him come.

But he had to watch Grindelwald as he stripped the shirt off of Credence's arms, slowly, placing kisses on the pale skin every now and again. After he was done, Grindelwald sat back on his knees, he took one hand and let it travel from the waist up to Credence's neck, where he grabbed the tie, pulling Credence up to him. “Now it's your turn to help me out of my clothes.” Credence looked startled at first, he had to position himself right in front of Grindelwald and, intimidated by the situation, kept his head down again. The wizard was having none of it, he yanked the tie, forcing Credence to look up at him: “Why so shy, haven't you been enjoying this so far?” “- I have. I've never felt like this before.” was the soft-spoken answer. 

Grindelwald repaid that answer with a kiss, pulling Credence close with the tie. His free arm found its way to the younger man's back, rubbing up and down in a calming manner while whispering: “Your skin is so much warmer now. I wish I could explain how good it really feels. I want to feel your skin on my skin, feel the heat. Help me feel it.” 

Credence's eyes had grown wide as the wizard spoke, he couldn't believe that someone could be that eager to experience these pleasures with him. Grindelwald smiled, kissed him a second time and leaned back again, watching as Credence began to undress him by taking off his tie first. He continued by unbuttoning the vest. Grindelwald's hand stayed on the younger man's back, stroking it lightly.  
Graves could see his lust-filled eyes with whom he was examining Credence's every move. It took the young man some time, the hand on his back distracted him, but he managed to open the vest and Grindelwald let him slide it down his arms. The wizard pulled his shirt out of his pants. “That should make things easier.” Credence nodded. 

He was very hesitant to start on the shirt. Grindelwald leaned in for another kiss, his hands traveled up from Credence's knees to his hips, to his bottom, where he tightened his grip. He knew how to push the right buttons, the younger man was shy, but obviously liking this intimacy, he just needed some motivation. Credence began at the bottom of the shirt, slowly moving up button by button. Grindelwald assured the action by never letting his hands leave the younger man's body, moving up and down his thighs. As Credence reached the final button, one of the hands wandered between his legs. 

Credence wheezed, a sound that made Graves realize how hard he himself already was. It took all of Credence's strength to fully open the shirt, he was breathing heavily as Grindelwald ordered him to remove the sleeves off his arms as well. The young man did was he was told to do, his hands shaking in the process.  
“Touch my body, feel its warmth.” Hesitant at first Credence placed his fingers on Grindelwald's chest, stroking the hair that grew there, blushing as he touched the nipples. He moved his hands up to the collarbone, the shoulders, down the arms, tracing the lines that Graves muscles left on the skin. 

Oh, how Graves wished he could be in Grindelwald's place right now, feel Credence's hands on his body, kiss his sorrows away.  
But it was Grindelwald who took these hands in his own now: “It feels good, right?” The response was hushed: “Yes, you do, Sir.” Grindelwald kissed Credence's hands before placing them on his shoulders, wrapping his arms around the younger man's back. “You shall have more of it then.”  
He pulled Credence closer, leaning in on him, his weight pressing them both down, back onto the bed. Credence's fingers dug into Grindelwald's back as they started kissing again, their hot skin touching, both breathing heavily now. 

Graves watched, ashamed of his erection, as their bodies found a rhythm, their legs entwined, hips grinding at one another. Credence started kissing Grindelwald's neck, running his tongue over the earlobe, which evoked a humming noise coming from the wizard. Grindelwald returned the unexpected action by sliding one of his hands between Credence's legs again, stroking the erection while he began to kiss Credence's chest, running his teeth over the nipples. It seemed as if Credence wasn't able to take much more than that, he arched his back, moaning and gasping, trying to speak, but being unable to utter a coherent set of sounds. 

Grindelwald looked pleased with himself as he intensified the grip he had on Credence, causing an outcry of lust and moans that sounded a lot like “Please, more!” “-Will you help me to feel as good as you do right now, darling?” Credence didn't hesitate: “Yes, anything, Sir!”  
A grin formed on Grindelwald's face, he got up, reaching for the young man's tie again, pulling Credence up to stand by the end of the bed with him: “Get on your knees.” he ordered in a raspy voice. Credence seemed a bit uncertain about what was happening, but he obeyed and found himself staring at Grindelwald's crotch, where his cock had already formed a bulge.

“Help me out of my pants, will you?” Credence nodded and opened the buttons almost awestruck, dragged the pants down but didn't dare to continue from there. Grindelwald ran his finger's through the young man's hair, reassuring him that everything was fine, whispering: “Don't worry, go on. You're doing great.”  
A pair of hands was placed on either side of Grindelwald's hips, one hand moving along the waistband of his briefs, the other slowly making its way to the wizard's erection. 

“Touch it.” The voice was low and filled with lust. Credence didn't know how to do it or what to do exactly, but when his hand finally reached the bulge on Grindelwald's briefs the wizard let out a moan, signalizing that he was doing something right. He stroke the place that had evoked sinful feelings in him just a few moments ago, wanting to give back the pleasure he had been given to. 

“You're such a good boy, so innocent. Just pull them down, no need to be so careful.“ Credence looked up to the man in front of him, who fondled his hair in response. This was a safe zone after all, was what that gesture meant. And Credence trusted him, grabbed the waistband of the briefs and took them down slowly, being extremely cautious when pulling them over the erection.

Graves saw how Credence looked at the cock, he seemed daunted and it was more obvious than ever that he had never been in such a situation before. “Do you like what you see? I do, this is a beautiful moment and you make it more beautiful for me. Credence....”  
The person addressed looked up to Grindelwald, a clueless look on his face. “Say Credence, have you ever touched yourself?” Credence flushed instantly, he looked down onto his knees, ashamed.  
“You have? I wouldn't have thought. Say, who is it you think about whenever you are pleasuring yourself? I wouldn't be me, would it, Credence? Now look at me when you answer.” 

The redness that had spread all over the young man's face now reached the ears as he looked up and whispered: “It was you Sir. I'm sorry, I'm sinful, I'm-” He got cut off by Grindelwald: “You don't have to be sorry Credence, it did feel good after all, right?” There was just a nod in response and this time Credence got away with it. “Now think about what you did to satisfy yourself and do that to me. You were using my image after all, see this as a reward I deserve in return.” 

Credence gulped, but didn't disagree and reached for the erection right in front of him. There was a soft sigh as one hand wrapped around Grindelwald's cock.  
Hidden in his closet, Graves found it both hard to look but also impossible to look away from what was happening outside. Those hands should be on him, Credence's eyes should look for his approval. 

But it was Grindelwald's face he was looking up to while lightly pumping down to the shaft, moving his fingers up again, carefully caressing the tip with his thumb once he reached it. One of the wizard's hands still ruffled Credence's hair, the other was now placed on the side of the kneeling man's face. Grindelwald held Credence by the jaw, the thumb placed near the lips. “I can really tell that you've done this before. There's no need to blush in shame now, I'm sure it felt as good to you as it does to me.”  
His voice was low but soft, Graves could sense the suppressed moans that Credence was causing. “Do you want to learn how to please me even more?” The answer was vigorous nodding, of course he wanted to be better for Graves, he wanted to take in everything that this man had to teach him.  
Grindelwald slipped his thumb into Credence's mouth. “Use your tongue on it. Don't forget about your hand in the meantime.”

It was obvious that Credence would have done anything to satisfy Graves's needs, so while caressing Grindelwald's cock he also took the thumb into his mouth, licking along down to the palm with his tongue, allowing Grindelwald to slide the thumb in and out. Credence noticed the growing smile on the wizard's face and was determined to do whatever he needed to do to make it last. Grindelwald replaced the thumb with both his pointer finger and his middle finger, meaning to prepare him for what was going to happen soon enough. “Don't use your teeth. Try to breathe through your nose”, he said as Credence gagged.  
Saliva ran out of the corner of the young man's mouth as he tried his best to follow the instructions, guided back and forth by the hand on the back of his head. “You're doing great, Credence. And you look so beautiful, too, with your hand on my cock and my fingers in your mouth. Could you be any more generous in the way you're pleasing me?”

Of course he could and he would, Graves knew it.  
He doubted that Credence ever had stimulated another man orally before and he didn't want to be the witness of what was about to happen next. In his lonely nights he had admittedly imagined how it might feel, Credence's lips on his cock, his tongue gliding up and down, his longing eyes watching Graves's every move. This image had always always enough to send him over the edge.  
Why couldn't it be him and Credence? Things would be different, not as rushed, he would put Credence's needs first, he would pleasure him, he would show Credence why it was right to trust him enough to go to bed with him in the first place.

A loud groan disrupted these thoughts and Graves was forced to watch as Credence licked the tip of Grindelwald's penis: “Anything for you, Sir.” A feeling of rage was forming in Graves's guts as Credence's lips wrapped around the erection, gliding up as far as he could, the hand on the back of his head guiding him carefully. Just as Graves had imagined it, Credence's eyes were wide open, looking for any reaction from Grindelwald. 

The wizard inhaled deeply as the hot mouth around his cock started to slowly move back and forth. He tightened the grip on the black hair, forcing Credence to take in more of his length. Suppressed gagging followed, Credence wanted to be a good boy, wanted to follow every instruction the other man gave him, but he was new to this entire situation. “Relax a little, I know you want to swallow me whole, my darling. Just relax, we're getting there.”

Eyes closed now, calm and concentrated, Credence took his time working his way up to the shaft, one hand nestling through the pubic hair, the other slowly moving down his own chest. Grindelwald noticed it with a grin, but didn't say a word for once, just continued stroking Credence's hair, his breath becoming faster by the second.  
Credence's head moved faster, there was more gagging now, but Grindelwald didn't care, he placed the second hand on Credence's head, pushing him further down, eyes closed, head slightly tilted up. “Oh, my sweet boy, I knew you were made for this.”

Graves saw saliva running down Credence's jawline and how Credence was rubbing his erection through his pants, while still being devoted to please Grindelwald. The hand on the cock now worked in unity with the mouth, the grip near the shaft that had been careful in the beginning had now strengthened, causing Grindelwald to moan.

Was that a taunting look in Graves's direction? Graves believed it was, but he didn't care, all he could think about was how he was bound to the closet, how he couldn't touch Credence or himself, how he longed to be in Grindelwald's place and switch positions, making Credence scream for more.  
Credence now uttered muffled noises, his hand massaged his own erection in the same fast pace as his mouth moved along the cock, but the sensation made it hard for him to breathe. Grindelwald pulled Credence back by his hair, until the tip came to rest on the rosy lips. Looking into his eyes, his voice was raspy, his words hasty, he murmured: “Stop touching yourself, focus on me, I'm almost there.” 

Credence obeyed, his tongue sliding along the penis down to the shaft and up again, teasing the tip, tasting the precum, before wrapping his lips around the cock once more, taking it in slowly.  
Graves noticed that Credence had sucked his cheeks in and he could only imagine how hot and tight that mouth must feel.  
Grindelwald let out a groan: “Such a dirty boy”, his hands forcing Credence deeper down again, going faster now, seemingly loosing control over his actions. 

Credence's free hand grabbed one of the thighs in front of him in means of stability, causing Grindelwald to tense up. “Tighter”, the word only a hiss in between inarticulate groans. The hand dug deeper into the thigh, resulting in a whimper from Grindelwald's lips. His hips were rocking back and forth now, ramming his cock down Credence's throat who tried his best to keep up with the speed, gagging, saliva now dripping down from the hand on Grindelwald's penis, helping it slide easier.

Suddenly Grindelwald let out a deep sigh, pressing Credence as close to him as possible, his body became stiff as he ejaculated down the young man's throat. He slipped his penis out of the mouth, jerking the last drops out on Credence's lips. Graves watched, his cock aching, as Credence licked it up, seemingly very satisfied by the approving look that appeared on the wizard's face.

It took Grindelwald a few moments to catch his breath. He used his thumb to clean up the mess the saliva had left on Credence's face, caressing his hair one more time, before he spoke: “You did so well, my boy. And you look more beautiful than ever, I hope you know that.”  
And despite everything, Graves couldn't agree more. With his messy hair, flushed cheeks, swollen wet lips, kneeling there, his erection looking like an open invitation – Credence looked ravishing.

Grindelwald reached for Credence's tie again, pulling him up to his face: “Give me a taste of myself.” Credence leaned in, his lips already parted, and gave Grindelwald a passionate kiss. Their arms wrapped around each others bodies, pulling in to a tight embrace, their hips pressing against each others, a moan escaped Credence's lips.  
The older man pushed him back onto the bed: “Take off your pants.” he ordered as he stepped out of the clothes that were still hanging between his legs, also taking off his shoes.  
Credence started to open his belt, his fingers were shaking, but he managed to get rid of his trousers and the undergarments at once, he couldn't wait any longer, he wanted his release.

Graves's heart skipped a beat as his eyes took it all in: Credence breathing heavy, the alabaster thighs shaking and his now revealed cock, precum already dripping from it. Credence looked so enticing and he didn't even know it. Graves wanted to take that all in, cherish every part of that gorgeous body with his lips, leaving his marks, make Credence scream his name.

It was obvious that Grindelwald liked what he saw, too. He swallowed hard as he watched how Credence reached for his penis, stroking it lightly a few times, before wrapping his hand tight around his cock, pumping up and down, keeping eye contact with Grindelwald the whole time.  
“Say my name.” Grindelwald's voice was low again, he couldn't take his eyes off of Credence as he walked up to the bed dead slow. “Mister Graves...” the voice was a longing sigh.

Inside the closet the real Mister Graves was furious, he wanted nothing more than to answer to this prayer, give Credence what he wanted and more. And he was certain that the imposter had done that just to tease him.  
Grindelwald had now reached the bed, he crept up to Credence, stroking his thighs, making Credence whimper, before taking Credence's hand away from his cock, replacing it with his own. They kept looking straight at each other, as Grindelwald lowered his head, taking Credence erection in. 

Loud moans followed, it was apparent that Credence wouldn't last long. He kept staring at Grindelwald's head in total disbelief, as if he still couldn't grasp that this was really just happening. That his Mister Graves did the things to him that he had been imagining sometimes at night. He felt stubble cheeks on his thighs, he relished the heat from Mister Graves mouth around his cock and he wanted this to last forever, the warm feeling in his stomach, this head between his legs, skin on skin, heavy breathing. But it took only a humming noise from Grindelwald to send Credence over the edge, the vibration too much to take.  
As he came, some of his come landed on Grindelwald's face, which Graves could see didn't happen accidentally. “What a sweet mess you made there. Would you care to clean it up for me?” Credence smiled, reached down towards Grindelwald, pulled him up into a deep kiss, before he started to carefully lick off the stains he left around Grindelwald's mouth.  
“You are so wonderful in the way you do as I please. How could I ask for more?” Graves recognized the luring undertone in the voice. 

He had really seen enough, Grindelwald had probably proven some kind of point to him, but more than anything this had shown Graves how much he truly wanted to be there for Credence. Oh, who was he trying to fool? He didn't just 'want to be there' for Credence, he wanted to be by his side right now, laying on top of him, naked in this bed, sharing a warm embrace and soft kisses.  
Just like Grindelwald and Credence did right now. 

“Though if there was anything that I'd want from you, would you give it to me?” Grindelwald knew the answer, Credence had already proven himself to be a loyal servant, but the wizard loved this game too much. “Anything for you, Sir.” The obvious answer came in a drowsy tone, Credence was ready to drift off into sleep. 

Grindelwald had other plans: “Turn around, lay flat on your stomach for me.” His willing puppet did as he was told and gasped in surprise as Grindelwald gave him a slap on his bottom, before placing a kiss right on the spot where his hand had left a faint red imprint. Grindelwald let his hand run over the soft curves of Credence's behind, taking in the beauty that unfurled right in front of him, also examining the scars on his back.  
“Tell me Credence, what is it about you that makes me want to tear you apart?” he asked, sliding his hand between Credence's butt cheeks. Loud wheezing echoed through the room as Grindelwald started to massage his servants entrance.  
“You are mine.”

Graves felt that this declaration was made against him. He had to witness how Grindelwald lowered his face and sank his tongue into Credence's rim. The young man pressed his face into the mattress, exclaiming muffled moans. “My boy, you're going to love this.”  
Grindelwald had a close eye on Credence's reaction as he started to finger him again, pressing his index against the rose. Credence started to squirm, not able to listen to the older man who told him to relax, as the finger found its way in. “I'll teach you to enjoy this.” Grindelwald's voice was raspy, it was clear that he took great pleasure from this situation as his penis was starting to stiffen up again. He added a second finger and started to pet Credence's lower back, seeing that the young man was clearly not about to ease up anytime soon, this situation was too new, this intimacy too rough, too unexpected. Grindelwald fondled Credence's bottom while pressing his finger's deeper in, causing the young man to cry out in pain. 

A hot wave of anger washed over Graves as he heard this miserable noise, he was ready to explode, he wanted to make Grindelwald pay for what he was doing to Credence. But instead of defending who was dear to him, he had to watch him suffer.  
Grindelwald seemed to enjoy the struggle he had with Credence. He slid a third finger in and grinned at the scream that followed, pressing his other hand firmly on the young man's back, securing the squirming body in place. “I'm definitely going to enjoy this, you're so tight.” Grindelwald was growling these words, it sent a shiver down Graves' spine. 

“I'm so hard right now, I can't wait any longer”, he pulled his fingers out of Credence's anus, spreading his legs farther apart, positioning himself in between them. Credence started to relax a little, but tensed up in an instant as he felt Grindelwald's cock rubbing between his butt cheeks.  
At first the wizard stroke the entrance lightly with just the tip of his penis, coaxing even a soft moan out of Credence by doing so. Grindelwald seemed to take this as a validation and started to press his hard-on against the younger man's rose, forcing himself in little by little. Credence tried to arch his back up, but Grindelwald, eyes half closed, still made sure that Credence was staying where he wanted him to be.

Credence was now screeching into the mattress without cease. Graves could almost feel his pain and under normal circumstances he couldn't have contained his anger enough to not try and beat the living shit out of Grindelwald right now. The wizard seemed to enjoy himself, slowly pushing in and out of Credence, rocking steady, increasing the speed every time he pushed forward. “So hot and tight, even better than your mouth!” he moaned. 

He was so absorbed in what was just another part of his dirty game, that he didn't notice the change in the atmosphere around him. Graves saw it, shadows creeping up on the walls, clouding up underneath the ceiling. Credence was still screaming, but what had been helpless whimpering once, now sounded more aggressive, almost like a growl. And was his outline dissolving?

It dawned upon Graves that they had been misjudging the situation concerning the church. Credence wasn't the key to help them find the source of destruction, he was the treasure, he was the destruction. The black shadows were clouding up above the couple in the bed, dimming the light in the entire room.  
Grindelwald had noticed what was happening around him right now, but instead of being intimidated, he seemed to be absolutely thrilled, going harder now, pushing Credence down onto the mattress: “This power, it's incredible. You're incredible!” 

'He is downright crazy', Graves thought as he watched how the darkness built up to a dark swirl above the bed, spinning faster and faster, before breaking out into a rage, rushing through the room, tearing the bed frame and the ceiling apart. Grindelwald was still riding Credence, laughing like the maniac he was until a piece of the frame hit his head, knocking him out in an instant. He collapsed on top of Credence, who struggled hard to get out from under the heavier body, all while the black swirl continued to destroy the room, finally banging on the closet's door – had it sensed Graves's presence? The door finally gave in, basically exploding into Graves' face, who tried his best to stay conscious, despite being very lightheaded. The chair he was bound to spun around a few times before it collapsed to the floor with him.  
The last thing he remembered was the hurt but mostly confused look on Credence's face. Then it got dark around him.

When he woke up again, he found himself in a hospital bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that escalated quickly.  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. It may take a while til the next update, as I'm a slow writer and an even slower reviser.  
> Find me on tumblr @tipsyanon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to give a huge shout-out to landfill_lady, who took her time to beta-read this chapter. Thank you for being such a sweetheart!

Graves had been here before. Both as patient and visitor, it was something that came with his position within MACUSA. He was housed in a single room, next to the bed stood a bedside table with a bottle of water on it. It took a load off his mind when he saw his wand laying there, too.  
Two empty chairs had been placed by the window. Soft light fell through the thin curtains, it was a sunny day in New York. Graves realized that he hadn't seen the sun or felt its rays in quite a while. 

Out of nowhere, he was hit with a cluster of panicky thoughts, what happened to Grindelwald, where was this man? Credence, was he okay? Where was Credence? Would he himself be alright? Who found him? Who took him to the hospital? How long had he already been here?  
For a moment Graves considered getting out of this bed to run along the floors, search someone, anyone, who could give him answers. But being who he was, he stayed calm on the outside, knowing that acting up like this would just lead to him having to spend more time in the hospital. Plus, he was in no condition to run.

Maybe he just needed a few moments to settle in to this situation. Patiently wait for someone and talk to them in a collected manner. Surely a nurse would come in soon to see if he was awake. They'd probably already been alerted to his state of consciousness by some kind of magic. He didn't feel too bad actually, of course not, compared to the time he had been a prisoner of a lunatic wizard. A bit weak maybe, he had a headache and he was thirsty.  
Graves wanted to pour himself a glass of water, only to realize that every move he tried to make hurt a lot. 

There was a wave of panic again, but he took a deep breath and pushed his initial fears away. He hadn't been using his muscles at all while being imprisoned, he had been forced to stay in the same position for hours on end. He had been tortured. It made sense that his body needed some time before it would function properly again. There were potions to improve his state of health and with his natural determination he would be his old, strong self in no time.  
There was really no need to worry, was there?

What about his magic? Grindelwald had kept it under control, could he have taken it from him entirely? Graves's heart pounded heavily now, panicking again. Who was he without his magic? Why hadn't there been a nurse yet? Was this just another one of Grindelwald's malicious deceits? Was he even free? Sweat began to form on his forehead. He was so thirsty, and he wanted to feel the sun on his skin and know that Credence was alright. His head started to spin. 

Finally, footsteps on the floor, but the floor seemed to be made of cotton, the noise sounded muted. More sweat, all over his body, why was he sweating so much? 'I really need to take a bath' was Graves's last thought before his vision became blurry and he drifted into unconsciousness again.

“Hello Mister Graves, welcome back. I'm really sorry about missing you the first time, but we never would have guessed that you'd recover quite as quickly. It's a really good sign.”  
He had to orient himself anew, faced with waking up in the hospital bed once more, only this time he was not alone. The nurse next to his bed gave him a bright smile. Her voice sounded soothing as she spoke: “How are you feeling, Mister Graves? Do you know where you are right now?” Graves recognized her face, she had taken care of him and his Aurors before, he just couldn't remember her name and his body still hurt too much to concentrate. 

The sound of his raspy voice filled the room: “I'm dizzy. Thirsty. Aching. I'm still in New York, the hospital, I've been here before. I know you, I just don't know your name.” A feather flew up to the nurse's clipboard, taking notes, and a glass already filled with water appeared next to the bottle on the nightstand. It floated towards Graves's lips, who started drinking greedily, the glass never ran out of water. In the meantime, the nurse opened the curtains, allowing sunlight in. Graves had to close his eyes as the rays hit his face.

“Your condition seems to be fine, considering the circumstances. My name is Anne. I'll let Doctor Patel know that you're awake, responsive and in a state of clear consciousness. You know Doctor Patel.”  
It wasn't even a question, of course he did. Doctor Patel was the one whom the Aurors relied most on, if they had been wounded while fighting. Graves was pretty sure that someone in his condition didn't fall into her main field of work, she probably was assigned to his case simply out of habit. As a member of MACUSA, you had to be taken care of by Doctor Patel. 

Graves had so many questions still, but before he could manage to utter even one of them, Anne exited the room. The waiting didn't take long, Doctor Patel rushed into his room, looking as resolute as ever.  
A flood of words started to rain down on him: “Mister Graves, you never cease to surprise me. You have been away for just a few hours. We believed you would be asleep for much longer. You still need a lot of rest, of course. You were dehydrated when you got here. I imagine your muscles – your body as a whole - must feel tense. We can fix this problem with a potion little by little, so I'm afraid you'll have to stay here under observation for a few days. Just to see if the potion works as planned, but also to monitor your overall state of health, of course. Don't worry, you're in good hands. There is a high chance that you will recover completely. Do you have any further questions?”

He had tons. But at first he took his time to realize how relived he was to hear that he would be well. The thought, the fear, that he might never fully recover had lingered in the back of his head the whole time, but he had pushed it away, not wanting to face it. It would take some time until he would truly become himself again, but he would get there. 

“Doctor, could you hand me my wand, please?” Doctor Patel obliged to his wish and Graves grabbed his wand, clumsily, with unsteady hands.  
He could feel it, magic, tingling in his fingers, crawling up his arm. Tears started burning in his eyes, he had missed this sensation. The power wasn't as strong as before, not yet, but that was to be expected. 

“I will inform President Picquery. She will be glad to hear that you are well. You two have a lot of discussion to do, I imagine,” said the Doctor, kindly ignoring the glistening in his eyes.  
“We certainly do. Please tell the President to bring the Auror who was prudent enough to pick up my wand. It must have been chaos, but someone was thoughtful enough to remember it. I'd really like to thank him or her.”  
A grin appeared on Doctor Patel's face: “It wasn't one of the Aurors who found the wand. The young Barebone took it. He handed it over to us, once he was calm enough to..., well, think clear again.”

Graves could feel his heart beat faster all of a sudden: “Cre... Mister Barebone? You know where he is? Is he alright?” He had just been assuming that Credence would have disappeared from the scene, from the chaos he was causing and, last but not least, from the two Mister Graves, one of which had been misusing his trust. Or that the Aurors had caused him to flee. Or killed Credence, but Graves hadn't been brave enough to allow himself to fully play this scenario through.

The Doctor gave him a surprised look: “Of course, you don't know the circumstances. Well, in a few words: Mister Barebone is the Obscurus you have been searching for. You probably already knew. When MACUSA detected his outburst they hurried to his location. They found Mister Barebone in his human form, highly disturbed and still aggressive. The Aurors managed to force him into unconsciousness and brought him here. They also have Grindelwald, he was laying naked on the floor, knocked out. And they found you, of course. That is all the information I can give you. And probably more than I should have given you in the first place. President Picquery will fill you in on further details, I'm sure.”

Graves felt dizzy again, all of a sudden. He had been afraid that he might never see Credence again, knowing how the Aurors could have reacted to a raging Obscurus. But Credence was here, in the same building, maybe even on the same floor as him.  
“You look very pale, Mister Graves, I should give you more time to rest properly. Anne will be here soon, with your potions and something to eat, too. You should try to get more sleep. There will be enough time to talk about everything else later on.”  
Doctor Patel rushed out again, leaving Graves behind with so many questions, the most important ones being: Would he be allowed to see Credence again? Would Credence even want to see him, considering that Graves had caused him nothing but trouble? 

Anne came back, a tray in her hands. She gave him three potions, explaining what each of them was supposed to do, but Graves didn't listen, he was caught up in his own thoughts. A soup appeared on the tray, reminding him that he hadn't eaten properly in a long time. He was feeling very hungry all of a sudden and started with his meal immediately. It was hard to move his arms, his jaw was tense, too, but he managed to eat, the plate filling up again and again until he was full.  
Anne kept a close eye on him, she seemed pleased and parted with: “Goodnight, Mister Graves,” when she left the room again. 

He now wished he would have listened to her when she had been telling him about his medicine, one of them must have been a sleeping-potion, he was pretty sure about that, based on how tired he felt all of a sudden. 

The next morning he witnessed how the sun slowly crept up on to the sky, taking away the dark curtain of the night. It had been a while sine he had taken his time to enjoy the sunrise, even before Grindelwald had locked him away.  
Granted, he really didn't have anything else to do except to watch the new day dawn, but after his time in captivity, he now swore to himself to not take these simple things for granted anymore, sunlight and fresh air, a glass of water. 

He felt better already, his body was still aching, strenuous movement was out of question, of course. But he could help himself for water and that was certainly something. While putting the glass back on the desk, his hand brushed against the wand on the nightstand. Picking it up he wondered again why Credence had bothered taking the wand with him. Did he realize that he had been tricked? That the real Mister Graves would never hurt him? Doctor Patel had said that the Aurors found Grindelwald on the floor, so he must have changed back into his true form. Credence had probably noticed, despite his rage. He must have.

Graves wondered whether this had increased Credence's anger, realizing he had been taken for a fool. Had it been helpful to see the real Mister Graves down on the floor, in need of aid?  
Graves really wanted to talk to Credence, ask him all these questions, ask him if he had been aware of the fact that he himself was the child they had been looking for, and, probably most important, he wanted to find out how damaged their relationship was. Would Credence still trust him?  
Graves didn't yet know whether Credence wanted to talk to him at all. But the wand, it meant Credence still cared, didn't it?  
And beyond all of these questions concerning Credence, there were other questions, questions concerning himself. What did Graves want for himself? 

A knock on the door disrupted his thoughts. The doctor or Anne surely would have just entered the room, was it a visitor? This early in the morning? “Come on in, please.”  
The door opened and in came Seraphina Picquery, an earnest look on her face. “Percival! It's such a relieve to see you alive and well.” “President Picquery?” She was visiting before work, of course. 

“Percival, you know I'm not the sentimental type. I just want to let you know how deeply sorry I am for the pain you must have gone through. We were blind. We did our job very poorly. I – and the whole department – hope you will be able to forgive us. We - I - have failed you. Percival, I understand if you want to take some time off after recovering, before you come to work again. ...you are going to come back, right?” Seraphina's expression had changed during that last sentence. She usually cut right to the chase with a firm voice, but her question had sounded so different, deeply worried, nervous, ashamed. 

Graves couldn't answer right away, he realized how much he had to process, much more than he had initially thought. Did he want to go back to a place where he could be replaced that easily? Really, how long would it have taken them to find out the truth? Hadn't it been for Credence, he would still be in captivity. The Aurors had come for the Obscurus, not for Percival Graves.  
Surely there had to be a way to talk to Credence, to thank him. Why did his mind wind up around Credence no matter the original topic?  
“Of course, you don't have to answer right away, I don't want to put any pressure on you, Percival. Get well, there is nothing more important right now. Think about all the circumstances. I know you will make the wisest decision.”

The morning was uneventful after President Picquery left. They didn't have much of a talk, Graves had tried to ask her about Grindelwald, but Seraphina insisted that he shouldn't burden himself with thinking about the dark wizard right now, leaving him without new information on the case.  
Breakfast, potions, Anne, Doctor Patel, a lot of staring out of the window, the wand in his hands, that was how the next hours went by. 

Around noon there was another knock on the door. It sounded tentative, as if the person knocking was afraid of waking him up or disturbing him otherwise. This assumption turned out to be true, the person who entered after he invited them in was Porpentina Goldstein.  
“Hello Director Graves, how are you doing? Are you well? Or at least better? I know they take good care of you, of course, but we are all very worried. Director, I am so sorry for this chaos, I should have noticed that Credence was the person we were looking for, I should have known that you weren't the real you, Director, when I learned about what happened I was just so - ” 

-”Tina, please.” Her babbling was supposed to cover up how nervous she was, it was obvious to see, but she just kept talking herself deeper into her nervousness. “Take a deep breath. Then tell me whatever you want to say and ask whatever question you have, alright? I am not going to go anywhere, I promise.” It was supposed to be a joke, but Tina looked a little hurt. “Alright. Will do.”  
Graves could hear Tina inhale-exhale, before she gave him a weak smile and said: “I brought you a gift. It's from everyone in the department.” She handed him a small paper bag, foxes were printed on it, they ran around in a swift pace.

Inside he found what he thought to be a dark piece of cloth, on top of which lay a card. Graves took the card in his hands; its front said 'Get well soon!' in silver letters. A swallow flew across it, occasionally sitting down on the writing, leaving golden traces on the silver. They disappeared a few seconds after the bird took off again. Very cute, not quite what he would have chosen for himself, but he knew he would keep it. On the inner side he discovered a lot of signatures, some he could decipher, some he couldn't, some he could read but – to his disgrace - could not relate to a person. He looked up at Tina and gave her a smile, then placed the card visibly on his nightstand. 

The piece of cloth turned out to be a scarf, thick but fine woven, pretty heavy, silky-soft and luxurious, exactly like the one Graves already owned. The look on his face must have shown his bewilderment, because Tina explained: “Your scarf was torn in the chaos.”  
Yes, he remembered, Grindelwald had hung it up on the wall, Credence must have forcefully ripped it off in his rage. 

Suddenly, there was a lump in his throat, the thoughtfulness of this present got to him. Tina was still waiting for his reaction, he realized, so he cleared his throat, hoping she didn't think too much of it. “Thank you, Tina, I really like it.”  
Relief washed over her face: “I picked it out myself.” Graves would have bet that the scarf had been her idea, it seemed to be just like Tina, to find a meaningful gift instead of bringing just a card and maybe a bouquet “...or rather, well, Queenie helped me pick it out.”  
Of course. Graves wasn't too fond of that nosy sister of hers, but he had always thought that Queenie had good taste when it came to style. “Tell your sister I said thank you.”

A smile and a nod from Tina, before an awkward silence fell between them. While she had been very talkative in the beginning, she now didn't seem to be too sure whether she really wanted to address the things she had been babbling about.  
“Do you want to take a seat?” To his surprise, he didn't just ask because it was common courtesy. Graved still had a lot of questions that needed an answer and Tina seemed to be the right person to ask. Mostly because she was the only person he could interrogate right now.  
She almost jumped to pull one of the chairs closer to the bed, probably happy about the short distraction, but it didn't do anything to help with her nervousness, so it was Graves who had to start the conversation. 

“So Tina, it seems like there were one or two things you wanted to tell me right when you came in,” he said vaguely, trying to put no pressure on her.  
She sat straight up in the chair, Graves could tell that she was trying to collect her thoughts, before she spoke: “Yes, Director, first and foremost I want to apologize to you. I blame myself for not realizing that Credence was – is – the Obscurus. You trusted me with keeping an eye on the Second Salemers and I failed, because I could only see how vile the mother was. Not only did I cause major inconvenience by attacking her, but I also couldn't see the person we were searching for when he was right there before my eyes. And secondly...”

Graves interrupted her right there: “Tina, let me clarify something: the fault is not on you alone. It was wrong to cause mayhem, we've discussed that before, but you can hardly be blamed for not seeing was Credence was hiding. The direction we were headed for was right, but our assumption was wrong, we weren't looking for a child. No one suspected that Credence might be the Obscurus. I have been in contact with Credence, I've seen him, I had no clue it could be him. ...now that I think about it, it makes me wonder if he himself was aware of what was happening to him. Does he know now?”  
This question was a shot in the dark, Graves had really been wondering to which extend Credence knew what was going on, but he also wanted to find out if Tina had maybe spoken to him in the last few hours. She had.

“Yes, he is fully aware of the fact that he is the Obscurus now. The potions he gets do not only help him stay calm, they also help him focus. He used to have blackouts the first couple times, later he was able to remember fractions of what he had done, dismissing them as bad dreams. It was probably a coping mechanism of his body, the memory loss. For someone who has been raised to believe in the Devil and in magic as the breeding ground of sin, it must have been a struggle to realize that he might be one or even both of these evils.”

This statement seemed highly dramatic to Graves, but he came to think that Credence, a usually well-behaved church attendee, must have had his problems with realizing that something utterly dark and powerful was living inside of him. So hiding these memories from himself might have been the best possible way to handle the situation, seeing how much pain he had to deal with on the daily.

“So, Tina, you have had the chance to speak to him than?” The plan had been to incorporate that question in a neutral tone, but it came out completely different, hasty, his voice too high, it even cracked a bit. Truth was, Graves wanted eagerly to learn about Credence's condition and he was jealous – if only a tiny bit – of everyone who had been talking to Credence in the past few hours.  
Tina looked a bit surprised, but didn't address his pitch of voice, of course, she replied as if Graves had sounded normal, maybe blaming it on his still weak condition: “He is on another floor. I visited him yesterday. I felt obliged to, I deeply care about Credence and I..., I think if I had handled things differently, then maybe... I wanted to make sure that he is alright.”

“And is he?” The smile on Tina's face answered his question before she even said a word: “He is. I daresay that I have never seen him more comfortable with himself. The constant tension you could feel on him – it's rarely noticeable anymore. Some of this ease might be due to the potions he is getting, but I think he's relieved to know what has been going on with him. He smiled at me, so freely and... oh, I'm sorry, you surely are not interested in my sentimental observations, Director.” 

Graves was, but he didn't want to make it any more obvious than he already had, so he just replied with: ”It's good to know that Credence is well. Did he say anything concerning Grindelwald? ...and me?” It was a perfectly reasonable question, wasn't it? Graves knew that he would demand answers, had he been in Credence's place, being lured into intimacies by a man who looked exactly like another man who was trapped in a closet beside the bed. 

Tina shook her head: “He just wanted to know if you've got your wand back. While Credence was happy to see me and is glad that the Obscurus doesn't need to be kept a secret anymore, he is still uptight. Whatever Grindelwald did to him, he doesn't want to talk about it. Yet. Not with me at least and not with anyone else, as far as I know.” 

The truth about what had happened in the bedroom was safe between Credence and him – and Grindelwald. Graves felt relieved, but why? Had he been afraid of his staff, of their judgment? Afraid they might find out that he had unauthorized contact with Credence, even before Grindelwald appeared? Could be the reason. But there was something else, something more important. Graves wanted to discuss what had happened with Credence alone, before anyone else had the chance to. He felt like they needed to talk about their secret meetings, about why Credence had followed him and later Grindelwald. They could talk about the Obscurus, about magic, about the hospital, about the sunrise, about the bedroom, about everything. If Credence wanted to. Which brought Graves back to his main concern: Was there a reason why Credence would even want to talk to him?

“I see. It's understandable, the encounter with Grindelwald must have left a mark. Maybe we just need patience. Or maybe Grindelwald will give us the missing information, we will see.”  
Tina cracked a laugh, quickly covering her mouth with a hand: “ No, Director, Grindelwald doesn't utter anything else than cursing when we try to interrogate him. He is of no help.”  
That was also good to know. Graves had high hopes that the dark wizard would talk to him, but these things could and had to wait. He noticed that Tina had fallen silent again, she seemed nervous, couldn't meet his gaze anymore. 

“Tina?”  
“...Director, about... about Grindelwald. I... I am so ashamed. I should have known. I should have known about Credence and I should have known about you. You were my mentor. You are my mentor, still. Not noticing you've been replaced... We care, we do! Everyone is worried about you. Please come back. You must be disappointed in me, in all of us, you have every right to be. Please give us a chance to prove that we are worthy. ...we have Grindelwald, isn't that something?”

The issue of whether he would go back to work or leave MACUSA behind had been occupying much of his morning. Graves had decided that yes, he would come back.  
There were two main reasons for his decision. Firstly, he was very proud of the position he was in, he was doing a great job - well, most of the time – and secondly, wouldn't Grindelwald believe he had won if Graves never came back? Not on his watch! Graves would take back the life that had been stolen from him. He wanted to show Grindelwald and his fanatics what he was made of.

He wore a smile when he answered: “Tina, I forgive you. Grindelwald must have done this before, I am sure he put on a convincing disguise. You think not being able to recognize I've been replaced says a lot about you, but I think it says a lot about me, too. Don't expect me to open up to anyone from now on, just know that I take some of the blame on myself. But I'm not going to soften up at work.”

Looking up, he noticed that Tina's eyes had gotten watery: “I understand, Director. Thank you. We will be happy to have you back.”  
“It may still take a while, I am not in pristine condition.”  
As if someone had rang an alarm, Tina jumped up, babbling again:”Right, you still need to rest, I am so sorry for taking up so much of your time. My break is almost over. I hope I didn't bother you too much, I'll leave right now and...”

“Tina?” Graves said in an amused tone, “Thank you for your visit. I highly appreciate it.” Calming down again, she smiled and was almost at the door, ready to say her final goodbye, as there was one more thing he wanted to ask: ”Say, Tina, could you let Credence know that I want to thank him for taking care of my wand? Personally?”  
She slightly raised a brow on his request, but said yes, she would tell Credence that Graves wanted to see him. “Goodbye Director, I hope you get well soon.”  
“Thank you again for visiting me, Tina. Goodbye.”

Credence didn't show up all afternoon. Or the day after.  
Graves wasn't surprised, but couldn't help to feel slightly disappointed. He had other visitors, colleagues from work, old friends, some came only because they felt obliged to, but some he could see had really been worried. The nightstand filled up with cards and flowers. It was moving to see that people cared about him, he had always thought of himself as a loner. 

Graves still had hopes on the second day after Tina's visit. Credence might have made up his mind about wanting to see him. Graves could finally walk again, or rather stumble, only short distances, but he didn't dare go to Credence. Not only because Doctor Patel had advised him to use his legs only to go to the bathroom, but also because he didn't want to pressure Credence into talking to him. Maybe Credence would be afraid of him, maybe his visit would trigger the Obscurus, Graves didn't want to find out.  
That evening he went to bed slightly afraid, thinking he might never speak to or see Credence again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> landfill_lady was nice enough to beta this chapter. Thank you so very much!

He woke up, because he heard something shatter. Disoriented in the dark at first, he tried to make out where the noise had come from. The glass on his nightstand was missing. As his eyes got used to the dark, Graves could see the shards on the ground, glistening in the pale moonlight that fell through the window. 

How had that happened? “Is somebody here?” he asked into the stillness of the room. Graves could make out the shapes of the few things around him. There was something in the corner right next to the door, the darkest part of the room. It definitely hadn't been part of the interior when Graves had gone to bed. As he was finally able to recognize more, he saw that whatever was standing there had the size and shape of a human. Someone was lurking in the corner.

“I can see you.” Graves's voice sounded sleepy. “What are you doing here, what do you want?” Could the person in the shadows be one of Grindelwald's henchmen? His wand was still where he had left it. Graves picked it up, just for comfort; he still wasn't able to defend himself with it. 

“No, please don't, I mean no harm!” Graves lowered the wand at once, as soon as he recognized the stressed voice. Wide awake now, he heard his blood rushing in his ears, felt his heart beat heavy in his chest. 

“Credence? Credence, is that you?” Silence, and then: “Yes, Mister Graves.”  
Credence. He was here. Graves didn't know what to say. How do you pick up the pieces of a relationship that had never been healthy to begin with? How do you start a conversation with someone who once trusted you, who was dear to you, who had seen you in a miserable state and whom you'd watched having intercourse with another man?  
“Credence, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?” was a start, Graves thought. 

“I was just... you see, I was trying to find out if I was ready to face you, Mister Graves.” 'Ready to face you', this statement really hurt. It put Graves down as an enemy, like he was someone Credence needed extra preparation for before they met on the battleground. 

“So Credence, your final verdict, are you ready?”  
Instead of answering right away, Credence stepped out of the shadows. Moonlight fell on his pale face, making it seem as if he had emerged right out of a dream. Graves held his breath as Credence started to come closer. While they had put Graves in a horrific hospital gown, Credence was still wearing his usual attire. It seemed even more unfitting than Graves remembered, probably because Credence stood up straight now, looking down onto him from the end of the bed.  
“I think I am, Sir.”

There was this moment again, the silence, they both had no idea what to say.  
Finally, Graves remembered that there had allegedly been one main reason why he had wanted to see Credence: “Thank you for my wand. For taking it with you. It would have been a pity, had it gotten lost in the chaos.”  
Credence didn't meet his gaze as he answered: “I took it because I was scared of him. I was afraid that he might wake up and use his magic against me. I didn't know what to do with it, so I gave it to Doctor Patell. She recognized your wand.”  
Another statement that hurt Graves. His heart sank, realizing that Credence hadn't been thinking of him at all when he took the wand. He had been thinking about Grindelwald.

“Are you afraid of me, Credence?” Their eyes met again and Credence said: “No, I'm not. You are not him. I know you're not.”  
“Why are you so sure about that?”  
“Your beard, Sir, you really need a shave. His hair wouldn't be so long after just a few days.” Graves was baffled by the answer and couldn't help but laugh at it. “But it still could be a trick. Magic.”  
The look on Credence's face was much softer now: “You look so peaceful while you sleep. He couldn't look like that. I thought so each time.” 

Graves felt a certain kind of warmth spread through his body. “I guess you're right Credence, he couldn't.” It took a few more seconds until Credence's last sentence fully sunk in: “Each time? What do you mean 'each time'?”  
Credence was blushing, it was obvious, even in the dim light: ”I mean... I just wanted to be sure. That's why...”  
”So you've been here before? At night, watching me? How often?” The answer sounded very nervous: “Yes, Sir. I have. Ever since Miss Goldstein told me you wanted to see me.”  
So this was the third night in a row that Credence had been standing by his bed. It was a very unsettling thought, as much as he wanted to imagine Credence as his guardian angel.

“I wanted to visit you by day. I tried, but whenever I reached your door, I couldn't knock. The first time I came to you at night, I just wanted to see if I could come here at all. Then, when I tried to come back around noon, I couldn't open the door, because I was afraid that I might find something else than at night. And by night I returned, to make sure that you hadn't changed, that you were still you. Just like tonight. I was hoping to gather enough courage to visit you tomorrow. I probably wouldn't have.”  
For a moment, despite him standing taller than in the past, Graves could see the old Credence, head and shoulders down, unsure of himself, ready for his punishment. The sight made Graves want to reach out to him, soothe him and tell him everything would be alright from now on.

“Credence, you are here and you are talking to me. You can do it. Promise me you'll try again tomorrow? I promise I'll still be here and still be me.” A faint smile on the pale face, a quick look out of his dark eyes: “I promise.”  
There had been tension in the air, but with these two words, it was gone. Graves had been feeling different kinds of relief within the last days, he had been delighted to see certain people, he had been glad to see the sun again, but he hadn't felt truly happy, not until now. There was still a chance to fix this relationship, to talk things through. 

“I'm looking forward to to tomorrow then, but for now, I really need to rest. You should try to get some sleep for a change, too.”  
The smile on Credence's face spread. “Yes, Mister Graves, you're right. I hope you have a good night. I am sorry about the intrusion.”  
“Don't be, please. It gave us a chance to talk. Who knows how long it would have taken otherwise? Goodnight Credence, it was good seeing you. I hope I'll see you again tomorrow.” He watched as Credence left his room, becoming one with the shadows again.

Graves couldn't help but feel how his heart skipped a beat when he thought about the next day. Credence would be there, he knew it. Before he fell asleep, his eyes lingered on the place where the glass had been sitting on the nightstand. Credence must have been standing very close to the bed.

The first thing Graves did after waking up was watch the sun rise. It had become his valued ritual to see the world awaken around him. The second thing he did was eat breakfast and ask Anne for writing utensils. The third thing he did was write a letter to Tina, requesting her to pick up several things from his apartment.  
And then Graves waited. A few hours went by. Hours, in which his heart skipped a beat whenever he heard – or thought he heard – someone in the corridor. 

He paced trough his room slowly, but still as fast as he could manage, opening the door from time to time to check the halls, always embarrassed when he realized how pathetic his behavior was, always glad when he found that the corridor was empty. It would have been even more embarrassing if someone saw him act this off.  
He sat down in one of the chairs by the window, got up again, because he thought he heard a knock on the door, sat down on the other chair only to get up again seconds later, because...  
Because Graves was restless - there had been enough silence in the last few days, enough sleep, enough waiting, he was ready for something to happen. 

It was about noon when Anne returned. 'Lunchtime already', Graves thought, slightly disappointed, until something caught his attention: Anne wasn't carrying the tray which his lunch usually appeared on. “Mister Graves, Mister Barebone would like to join you for lunch, if that is alright.”  
For one moment, a moment of pure joy, everything around him fell completely silent, while his heart started to race. Graves had been nervous before, but this was something else.  
He realized that even though he had anticipated this moment, he was also very afraid of what might come out of an actual conversation between Credence and himself. 

Not visiting Credence, because Graves's presence might upset him? - Graves could have sent him a tentative note, proposing a meeting. Sending Credence away last night, because 'we both need to sleep'? - Nonsense, they were in a hospital, they could sleep any given time of day. Waiting all morning for Credence to arrive? - The night had shown perfectly well that Credence wanted to see and speak to Graves, there was really no reason why it shouldn't have been Graves who knocked on Credence's door this morning.  
Sure, he had convinced Credence to try and overcome his fear, but Graves recognized that he himself had been acting cowardly, trying to postpone the one thing he desperately wanted to do, afraid of the outcome. He was happy to see that Credence had been brave enough for both of them.

“Mister Graves, did you hear what I said?” Anne eyed him, seemingly worried. “Yes, of course, of course, I'd be glad to share a table with Cr- Mister Barebone.”  
As if it had just been waiting for him to say it, a table appeared right on cue, placing itself between the chairs by the window. Two plates already filled with food, glasses and proper cutlery popped up on a white tablecloth.  
“Alright, enjoy your meal. I'll see you when it's time for your medicine.”

“Hello, Mister Graves. I finally made it during daytime.” Credence must have been standing right by the side of the door, because as soon as Anne had left the room, he stepped in. He looked good with his straight posture, it really emphasized his slender figure, Graves thought. “Welcome to my humble abode, Credence. It is good to have you back.”  
And it truly was.

They weren't particularly awkward around each other, maybe a bit reserved, the way Graves sat down and gestured Credence to take the other chair. The way they picked up the silverware and waited for the other one to start eating. The way they exchanged a smile upon noticing, taking it as a sign to take the first bite.  
“This is quite nice,” Graves said. “It reminds me of our first encounter.” Credence shot him a pleased glance. “Me too.” And, after stirring around on his plate for a moment, he added: “It is good to know that I haven't been deceived the whole time. I was glad when you recognized me last night. It was scary to think that I might have never seen the real you at all.”

“Right, you wouldn't know whether I've been held captive by Grindelwald the whole time or just for a while. Well, it felt like an eternity to me either way. But the first encounters you had with Mister Graves, well, that was me. The diner, healing your bruises, making you my accomplice in finding a child that only existed in my imagination...” Graves trailed off, because he noticed that Credence had stopped eating while listening to him, but continued as it seemed that Credence was interested in what else he had to say: “Forgive me, Credence, I didn't think you could hold so much power. This has never occurred before. It usually consumes the host at a young age, like I've told you. Haven't you been in pain? How were you able to endure...?”

Credence shook his head: “I don't remember most of it. I don't know when it started. I can't tell you when I first suspected that it could be me. I've had to bear pain for most of my life, to a point where I couldn't tell if It came from the outside or the inside anymore. It was all the same to me. You made it better.”  
A matter-of-fact statement, but Graves was deeply moved. “You made my life better, too.”  
Now the atmosphere was awkward. They ate in silence and Credence didn't look up from his plate anymore until he was finished.

When they were both done with their meal, Graves was convinced that Credence would just leave, but he stayed and examined the room carefully. “You must have a lot of visitors, Mister Graves. There's a lot of cards and gifts on your nightstand.”

“I suppose I do. I've had a lot of colleagues come over. Do a lot of people come to visit you?” Graves didn't know where this question came from; it was ignorant at best, he realized as soon as the words slipped from him lips. Of course Credence wouldn't have a lot of visitors. He didn't have many people that interacted with him on a friendly basis to begin with, did he have friends a all? Most of the people he knew were No-Majs, how would they find him here? And the magic world perceived him as a threat, if they knew about Credence's existence at all, so why would they come and see him? If not to ogle him like he was some sort of monstrosity, a creature to expose in a circus.  
But Credence didn't look offended at all. “Not nearly as many as you. Miss Goldstein and her sister sometimes come over. I really like that, Queenie is very funny.” The happy look on his face made Graves feel ashamed of his former thoughts. No, there weren't many people who wanted to see Credence, but those who did were the ones that truly cared. 'Quality over quantity' was what they said. Graves thought about the last few days. Sure, a lot of people had come and gone and some he had been glad to see, but the ones that really mattered had been Tina and, well, Credence. 

“That sounds nice, Credence. I'd like to pay your room a visit, too. If you don't mind, that is.” Credence narrowed his brows, looking worried. “I don't mind, but... can you already do that? Tina told me that you're not as strong as you used to be.” He blushed a bit and added quickly: “I'm sorry, Mister Graves, I shouldn't have said that. The distance isn't that far, I'm sure you'll manage... I didn't mean to say you're weak, I just, I, I...” The redness on his face grew with every word he uttered.  
A snicker escaped from Graves's mouth, obviously flustering Credence even more. “It is alright Credence, I don't know what you're apologizing for. I am weak, it is true. But I am getting better. I can walk, neither fast nor far, but I am determined to reach your door within the next couple of days. It's a promise.”  
They looked at each other for a second, before they both started to smile. “I'm looking forward to it, Sir,” Credence said softly and Graves could have sworn that he felt his heart flutter just then. “Me, too, Credence. But if you get tired of waiting for me in the meantime, just come to my room. Even in the middle of the night, if you have to.” 

They talked for a while, until Anne came to remind Credence to go back to his room for his routine checkup. “I'll see you tomorrow then, Credence?” Credence, who was already by the door, turned around and, with a reassuring tone, answered: “Yes, Mister Graves, I'll be coming over.” He lifted one arm in an awkward wave, unsure of the proper way to say goodbye. Graves returned the gesture, a smile on his lips. Credence was so lovely in his unassertive ways.

They had been talking about the hospital for the most part. About Anne, about Doctor Patel, about potions and healing spells. Credence was interested in everything magic and Graves had tried to gather what he knew about healing spells and potions, but this field of magic wasn't exactly his forte. So he had spent most of the time listening to Credence's description of what he felt whenever he was drinking his medicine and how it looked and tasted so different from anything he had tasted in the no-maj world. He told Graves that he had been spending a lot of time reading and occasionally walking through the small park that belonged to the hospital.  
While Credence still seemed intimidated because the situation was so new to him, he had never talked as openly before, never seemed so relaxed. Graves could see how realizing that the Obscurus was inside of him and that it could be contained had a positive impact on Credence. The change of environment probably didn't hurt either.

Tina stopped by in the evening, bringing him some nicer garments than the hospital gown. Graves thanked her and, although he felt like he was bothering her, told her that he might need her help to pick up a few more things in the future. She hadn't minded at all, stating how happy she would be to assist him in whichever way she could.  
After she left, Graves changed into his usual pajamas. Silken, black and white plaid, very comfortable and much more beneficial for his shape. Tina had also picked up his favorite bathrobe, black silk, and once Graves slipped into it, he felt almost like himself again.  
He knew that - to some extent - he had forgotten who he had been before Grindelwald had happened. Captivity changes a man, isolation changes a man and Graves had started to realize that it most certainly had its effects on him. When he had seen Credence again, wearing his usual clothing, while he himself was stuck with the hospital garment, he knew that something was off. Outer appearance had always been important to Graves, his attire was always well-tailored and made out of high-quality fabrics. Looks weren't everything, he was aware of that, but it was a good way to claim his old self back.

Which was why, the next morning, after enjoying the sunrise and eating his breakfast, he got up and went into his bathroom, examining his face in the mirror. 'Your beard, Sir, you really need a shave,' was what Credence had told him two nights ago and he had been right. Graves slowly stroke the thick beard that covered his face. It didn't belong to him, it belonged to the person that had been a prisoner of Grindelwald; it was a witness to his misery and therefore it had to go.  
He looked down onto the sink. Shaving utensils lined the storage area around the tap, Tina had also brought them yesterday. Another simple thing Graves had learned to appreciate: being able to take care of your hygiene. He had never been happier to be able to shave, he usually perceived it as a necessary evil.

The first rough shave was done, Graves had just begun to apply a second coat of shaving lather, as he heard a knock on the door. “Come on in. I'll need a few minutes, I'm in the bathroom.” He had left the door to his room open and when he took a small step to the side to see who his visitor was, he was surprised to see Credence standing by his bed. Or was he surprised? Maybe about the hour his visitor choose to grace him with his presence.  
“Good morning, Credence.” Credence looked at him, unsure of how to handle the situation: “Good morning, Mister Graves. Did I choose an inconvenient time? I can come back later.” Graves shook his head: “No, please stay, like I said, I'll need only a few minutes. Plus, me shaving is based on something you said, really. It's fair to have you be the first person to see what comes out of it.” A wink in Credence's direction, it must have looked quite funny, with the shaving lather on his face, but it made Credence blush a little. Graves was happy upon noticing and couldn't help but give himself a smirk when he took a step back in front of the mirror. He began to shave his face a second time, his motions smooth, he still knew how to do it properly.

“I didn't expect your visit in the morning,” Graves said, letting the razor blade glide carefully over his cheek, stretching the skin with his free hand. “I usually sleep late, but I woke up earlier today.” Graves laughed: ”Well, if you don't stay up late at night to watch other people sleep, you don't have to sleep as long the next day, right?” “I guess you're right about that.” The voice was so close now that it startled him for a second, almost causing him to cut himself. “Please Credence, don't ever sneak up to a man who has a sharp blade next to his throat!” Turning his head, he saw Credence leaning on the door frame, making an apologetic face: “I'm sorry, Mister Graves, it won't happen again.”  
Graves nodded and turned his attention back to the mirror. He felt Credence's eyes on him as he ran the razor down his other cheek, his chin, down his neck, cleaning the blade ever so often in between the strokes, observing him carefully and curious as he washed and dabbed aftershave on his face afterward.  
Graves took a close look at himself in the mirror. His cheeks looked a bit sunken in still, but there he was, Percival Graves, looking as sharp as ever. He was in desperate need of a haircut, of course.

“What do you say, does this look better?” he turned back to Credence and noticed with dismay that he looked very pale. “Credence?” But Credence didn't seem to listen. “Credence, please, what is it? Is it...? I am not him, you know I'm not!”  
Finally Credence shook his head: “You're not. It's just, the memories, now that you look so much more like he..., like you used to... I was scared for a second.”  
“That I noticed. And you scared me there a little bit, too.” Graves paused for a moment, before he continued, deliberate: “It will take us both some time. Not only to get over him, but also to get along with each other again. To put what has happened behind and focus on the future. And Credence, just so you know: I would like to have your company in my future. But if, for one reason or another, you feel like you don't want mine, please tell me. I will respect your decision.”

The look Credence gave him was confused, to say the least, but he seemed to understand what Graves wanted to tell him: “Thank you, Mister Graves. I think I won't be afraid of you anymore, if we spend more time together.” It was settled, then: It wouldn't be their final goodbye, once their time in the hospital was over. After a short pause, Credence added: “You do look good like that, it suits you better. And I am sorry for scaring you earlier, the razor looks really sharp.”  
“Well, it should be, a blunt blade can do a lot more harm. You would cut yourself easier with it, actually.” 

Credence probably never held a razor blade in his life, Graves realized. There was no need for him to shave, but he had been watching so intrigued and was intrigued still, which was why Graves waved his hand to invite Credence next to him in front of the mirror. “Do you want to try it?” “Please Mister Graves, don't mock me.” Credence's voice sounded a bit huffy, but he came up to the mirror nonetheless. It was true, there was merely a fuzz on Credence's cheeks and chin, but it was something to work with. “I am not mocking you, Credence. You could just try for the fun of it. I know you were observing, surely you found it interesting. And Credence?” For some reason Graves couldn't look at him directly, he had to look at Credence's mirrored image. “Please call me Percival.” 

There hadn't been anyone whom Percival had offered to call him by his forename in a long time, so this was a special moment for him. He didn't want Credence to notice and was really surprised as to how nervous he was. It was just a name, it wasn't that big of a deal, but even so... His fidgety thoughts were interrupted by Credence voicing his name: “Percival.” He said it mainly to himself, as if he was trying out how he felt about it. Whatever Credence's verdict was, Graves thought that his name had never sounded sweeter. “Percival. I'll have to get used to it. But I like it.” They were now looking at each other in the mirror, both of them abashed; Percival had to force himself to look away, not to get caught in Credence's dark eyes. 

He cleared his throat and pointed at the various objects in front of them: “So, do you want to try it?” Credence eyed everything suspiciously. “What do you need all that for?” Percival was happy to explain, finally feeling confident again, which was due to the fact that he knew what he was talking about: “I'm glad you ask, Credence. See, first you want to take a clean blade and sharpen it on the leather strop. Well, that is not entirely true, the first step would usually be to treat your skin with warm water, but we can skip that, since your skin is already very soft.”  
By the time Credence's face was covered in shaving lather it was obvious how much he enjoyed this pastime. Just being silly was something he had rarely ever experienced before, Percival suspected. Or rather, hadn't been allowed to experience. To be fair, doing something just for the fun of it wasn't something Graves himself indulged in too often, but seeing the happy, carefree expression that lingered on Credence's face made this all the more worthwhile for Percival.

“Now is the time to use the razor blade. Do you want to try it yourself right away, or should I show you how to use it properly?” Credence didn't think about it twice: “I want you to teach me how it's done, Percival.” The name came out a little hushed, as if Credence was still unsure about it. Just like the first time Graves thought his name had a lovely ring to it, when Credence said it. 

“Alright then, Credence, I'm going to show you how it is done on one cheek. Stand still.” With one of his hands placed next to Credence's ear, he stretched the skin just a little bit so the blade would glide smoothly. Before Percival began to run the razor blade down the face, he fully realized how close they were standing, just inches apart. He could hear Credence breathe flat, was he nervous because there was a sharp object right next to his face? Was it something else? Graves felt a sudden urge to brush his hand through the black hair right next to it.  
'Stop it! Focus!' he told himself, took a deep breath and started to remove the little hair that grew on Credence's face. 

Rinsing the blade under the tap afterward, Graves asked: “How did that feel?”  
“I barely felt anything, to be honest.” The answer sounded apologetic, but Percival smiled: “That's how it should be. I'm going to do it one more time and you'll shave the rest yourself. Take a good look in the mirror, so you get the angle right.”  
Credence gave himself a concentrated stare, slightly narrowing his brows; it looked quite endearing, Graves thought. When he was finished running the blade along Credence's face a second time, he handed it over to him. “Clean it first.” Credence did as he was told and when he lifted the razor to his face, he searched the mirror for Percival's approving gaze. “You will do fine, I'm sure,” Graves said and watched as the razor glided down the cheek that was still fully covered in shaving lather. 

Credence did fine, just as expected. He was extra careful around the chin area, because Percival told him so and after washing his face and treating it with aftershave, Credence looked just like before, at least to the uneducated eye. Credence swore that he could tell the difference, if not by looking at the skin, then at least by touching it. “It is definitely softer than before.” Percival could hardly imagine that, but he gave Credence the benefit of the doubt. “And I smell better than before.” Percival doubted that, too, different maybe, but the scent of his aftershave seemed to strong to fit a slender person like Credence. On a deeper level, Percival couldn't help but feel a certain warmth crawl through him upon knowing that Credence liked the way he smelled. He almost felt bad when he realized he had another task in store for Tina.

A hand on his face ripped Graves out of his strain of thoughts. “Your skin doesn't feel as smooth as mine,” Credence murmured absent-minded, one hand on Percival's face, the other on his own cheek. Any kind of movement was impossible for Graves, who was caught in shock, surprised by the sudden touch. One of his hands reached out to Credence's face, almost automatically, Percival didn't know how much control he truly had in that moment.  
He stroke along Credence's cheek, running his hand down to the chin, along the jawline, while trying to cherish the warm touch of the other man's hand on his own skin. He noticed how Credence mimicked his movements, he felt fingertips gliding along next to his ear, a delicate spot; Graves cleared his throat and forced himself to take his hand off of the soft skin, before he could do anything more stupid than this.  
Gently placing his hand on Credence's, leading it away from the ear and in between their chests, he said: “You're right, your skin is much softer, even when we're both freshly shaven.” Their hands dangled in between their bodies, indecisive of what to do next, not able to let go of the other one just yet. Finally, Graves let his thumb run across the back of Credence's hand, before releasing it to turn around and pretend to be busy tidying up all the utensils. They were both slightly embarrassed right now, Graves could tell by the way they tried their hardest not to meet each other's eyes in the mirror. 

“I'm going to go back to my room, Percival. This was a lot of fun, can we do that again sometime?” His voice trailed off at the end of the sentence, and Graves gave him a smile to ensure him that his question hadn't been stupid: “Of course we can. I'm glad to see that it doesn't take much to make you happy. Will I see you again soon?” And somehow he knew he would. 

Credence came back on the same day to eat lunch with him again. It became one of their daily rituals, as well as taking short walks though the halls or even in the park. In the beginning Credence had to back him a lot, but as time went by Percival grew notably stronger. Graves relished the proud glance that Credence gave him whenever they wandered around longer and farther than the day before.  
What was even more fulfilling was the admiration in his eyes whenever he witnessed Percival perform a little magic. The sight of candles floating through the room, pages turning over by themselves or a paper folding itself into different shapes filled Credence with a joy he couldn't contain, always begging Percival to show him more, to show him how it was done. Percival obliged to the best of his abilities, although he sometimes had to remind Credence that he still wasn't as powerful as before.

One morning, Percival got up exceptionally early. So far Credence had always managed to be the one knocking on his door, asking him to go for a stroll, automatically grabbing for his arm, offering his support. Percival had never rejected the helping hand, although he hadn't really been in need of assistance the last few days, he knew his health was almost back to former condition. But he had always been enjoying the way Credence cared about him and how their arms entwined so much, that he never saw the reason to point it out to Credence. Part of him was sure that Credence knew, he must have noticed that Graves had far more energy than before.

Today was supposed to be the 'special day', the day where he would finally visit Credence. Graves picked up the gift that he had told Tina to get for Credence, all along with a card and a bag similar to the one she got for himself. On this bag, there was a tree and it constantly cycled through the seasons, carrying rosy petals in spring, bearing fruit in the summer, showing its colorful leaves in autumn, sleeping under a blanket of snow during wintertime, always accompanied by seasonal animals. Credence would love it, without a doubt.

He crossed the halls with firm steps, clutching the bag to his side, until he arrived at the door that he knew led to Credence's room. Graves straightened his robe, before he lifted his hand to knock. It was quite refreshing to be standing on the other side of the door for once. He heard a rustling from inside, followed by a confused: “Who...? Come on in.” Percival's hand pressed the handle down, letting the door swing open. “Good morning, Credence. I hope I didn't wake you up.”  
It was obvious that he had done exactly that, Credence was still in his bed, sleepy eyed, his hair pretty disheveled and a somewhat grumpy look on his face – that was until he recognized who his visitor was. If Graves had thought that Credence looked lovely before, almost half asleep, his loveliness was even outdone with the smile that spread over his face. Graves could have sworn that the room got a little brighter, just through the light that appeared in Credence's eyes. 

“Percival! Good morning. So you're paying me your visit today.” Closing the door behind him again, Percival said: “I think it is about time. I promised to visit you a few days ago.” The room looked like the one he was staying in; a bed, two chairs and the door to his side certainly let to the bathroom. “I thought we might eat breakfast together for a change, before we go out to the park. And before I forget: I've got a little something for you.” He handed the gift bag over to Credence, who was taken by surprise and mumbled: “Thank you, Percival. You shouldn't have...” Percival was happy that he had as he watched how Credence inspected the bag curiously. The card was the first thing that caught his attention after he had admired the design of the bag itself. The outside showed a Phoenix, going up in flames to rise from its ashes again. A powerful image, and very fitting for Credence, in Percival's opinion. He had long thought about what to write inside the card, everything sounded either too kitschy or too generic.  
In the end he had settled for: 'The circumstances that led to us meeting were ill-starred. Here's to a better future for you, that will right every wrong you've been put through in the past. I will be happy to help with that. Your friend Percival.'  
Was that too much, or not enough? But it was the whole truth, Percival wished for a better future for Credence and he wanted to enable it.

Tracing the words with his fingers, Credence read the card, and when he turned his head up to look at Percival, he seemed gleeful as he hushed: “I hope for a better future for you, too, Percival. And if I can make it better, I certainly will.”  
“You already do, Credence, every single day, I really couldn't thank you enough for it.” He was comfortable enough to say it, but he saw that Credence got embarrassed over his words. Percival decided to switch the subject, asking Credence to open the small gift that was in the bag. Rectangular shape, wrapped in dark blue paper, adorned with a red ribbon – the gift was generic, Percival knew, but the way Credence's eyes widened after opening it told him that he liked it. 

“That is your aftershave.”  
“Not quite. It's the same brand, but a different version, a lighter scent. I hope you'll like it, I thought it might be more fitting for you.”  
Credence opened the bottle carefully, poured a little bit of the liquid onto the back of his hand and, after taking a smell of it, poured out some more to spritz it on his neck. He climbed out of the bed, came over to Percival and pulled him into a tight hug.  
“Thank you. It smells really good.” Percival, who was taken by surprise by the embrace, wrapped his arms around Credence's back. He was still warm from the sheets and as Percival nuzzled his head into Credence's neck, he got a hint of the aftershave. Even if the fragrance wouldn't last for long, it certainly went really well with Credence natural scent. “You're welcome.”

They released each other from the embrace, Credence took a step back, examining him from head to toe, before he said: “So you've come here all by yourself. You don't need much help anymore while walking.” Graves nodded: “That's right, I've got most of my physical strength back. But I think you already knew that.”  
“I did, I just... That means you won't have to stay in the hospital for much longer, right?” Another nod from Graves: “Right. And you don't either, as long as you have someone around to keep an eye on you. Which brings me to a very important question: have you come to a decision yet?” 

Credence avoided his gaze for a second and Percival felt his heart drop in that moment, but when he looked into his eyes again, all Graves could see was nervousness, and it took a while before the meaning of the words: “Yes. I would like to live with you, if that is still an option.” reached Percival's brain. Where his heart had been still before, it was now dangerously close to pumping out of his chest. A whole new future lay ahead of him and it looked even brighter than before. He couldn't help the bright smile that spread across his face, and this time he was the one to give Credence a hug: “Of course it's still an option, I wouldn't make such an offer lightly. From now on, my home is your home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I definitely enjoyed writing it.  
> Fair warning: it will take a while until I can post the next part, but it'll come!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Find me on tumblr @tipsyanon.


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